The Right Understanding of Manas

Chapter Fourteen: The Principle of the Interfunctioning of the Six Faculties

1. When we perceive the realms of the six sense objects, there is the seeing of the first five consciousnesses, the seeing of the sixth consciousness, the seeing of the seventh consciousness, and also the seeing of the tathāgatagarbha. Before the buddha-stage, all dharmas must involve the participation of the seventh consciousness; therefore, when the six consciousnesses perceive the realms of the six sense objects, there is necessarily the seeing nature of the seventh consciousness. And whatever dharma the tathāgatagarbha perceives, it can manifest that dharma; the seventh consciousness can then, relying on the tathāgatagarbha, condition that dharma, and can also perceive it. Because the seventh consciousness possesses the mental factor of wisdom (prajñā), it has a certain degree of cognizance of all dharmas and of the realms of the six sense objects; this cognizance of the seventh consciousness can make direct knowing without going through the six consciousnesses.

Ordinary people's seventh consciousness cannot make subtle cognitions of the realms of the six sense objects, because the seventh consciousness conditions too widely and has many dharmas to attend to; the conscious mind cannot concentrate its energy on detailed discrimination. Because the manas is scattered and lacks meditative concentration (samādhi), and its afflictions are heavy, its functions are severely obstructed and cannot be fully and effectively exercised. However, after one cultivates meditative concentration and completely severs the afflictions, the seventh consciousness is no longer obstructed by afflictions, and its functions can be effectively exercised. Especially after one has subdued part or all of the afflictive habitual tendencies, its wisdom and virtuous capabilities become ever more vast and unobstructed, and it can substitute for the six consciousnesses in cognizing the realms of the six sense objects and discriminating all dharmas.

For example, an arhat, because the afflictions and the self-grasping nature of his seventh consciousness have been completely severed and he no longer grasps at self, has functions that are no longer obstructed; his wisdom is vast and his virtuous functions are expanded. If an arhat has completed the four dhyānas and eight samādhis and has developed supernormal powers, the six faculties can interfunction and be used interchangeably; the seventh consciousness, the manas, can directly discriminate the six sense objects without the six consciousnesses discriminating them. The arhat can then, without using the ear faculty and without the ear consciousness arising, have the seventh consciousness directly cognize sounds; without the eye faculty and without the eye consciousness being born, the seventh consciousness can directly cognize form objects; without the body faculty and body consciousness, the seventh consciousness can directly feel cold, heat, touch, and pain; and within the cessation samādhi (nirodha-samāpatti), the seventh consciousness can directly cognize mental objects (dharmas). At the buddha-stage, the Buddha's undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna) can directly cognize the six sense objects without the first seven consciousnesses.

Therefore, after studying Buddhism and cultivating practice, one should subdue one's self-nature as much as possible, subdue the grasping at self and grasping at dharmas. The lighter the afflictions and the lighter the grasping nature, the more powerful the functions of the conscious mind and the more perfectly luminous the conscious mind. Conversely, the heavier the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, the more obstructed the functions of the conscious mind and the shallower one's insight—this is what is meant by "rat's eyes measuring only an inch." Practitioners should reflect three times daily on their own faults, striving to subdue their own craving, subdue their own anger, subdue their own delusion, subdue their own arrogance, and subdue their own doubt and views, not constantly harboring the petty self within, not manifesting the ego everywhere, not making "I" the master everywhere, lest all afflictions arise to obscure the birth of one's own wisdom.

2. There is another secret to the interfunctioning of the six faculties: the five faculties and the realms of the six sense objects are all the same kind of material form (rūpa-dharma), belonging to the same category; the seven consciousnesses are all functions formed from consciousness seeds, belonging to the same category. Thus the functions of things of the same category can substitute for one another. For instance, the six sense objects are all composed of the four great elements and are all material form, of the same category; the five faculties are all composed of the four great elements and are all material form, of the same category. Therefore, the six sense objects can pass through a single faculty and be discriminated by a single consciousness. All material forms include the five faculties, the five sense objects, and form included among the dharmas (dharma-āyatana-rūpa)—that is, the five faculties and the six sense objects. These eleven material forms are all composed of the four great elements; only their properties differ after composition, but their essence is the same. These material forms are all objects that can be seen and discriminated by the conscious mind. The conscious minds that can discriminate are all generated from consciousness seeds; only their objects of discrimination differ, while their essential functions are the same. Since this is so—material forms being essentially the same and mental dharmas being essentially the same—through cultivation, one can completely use one conscious mind to substitute for all conscious minds and discriminate all material forms. This can be achieved.

Let us examine these material forms, the six sense objects. The outer form objects among the six sense objects are composed of the four great elements; the tathāgatagarbha apprehends the outer form objects into extremely subtle particles of the four great elements, which arise and cease, arise and cease continuously, and are transmitted through the eye faculty to the supreme faculty (indriya), forming an image of the form object, called the inner form object (inner rūpa-viṣaya). The outer sound objects are composed of the four great elements; the tathāgatagarbha apprehends them into extremely subtle particles of the four great elements, which arise and cease, arise and cease continuously, and are transmitted through the ear faculty to the supreme faculty, forming an image of the sound object, called the inner sound object. The outer smell objects are composed of the four great elements; the tathāgatagarbha apprehends them into extremely subtle particles of the four great elements, which arise and cease, arise and cease continuously, and are transmitted through the nose faculty to the supreme faculty, forming an image of the smell object, called the inner smell object. The outer taste objects are composed of the four great elements; the tathāgatagarbha apprehends them into extremely subtle particles of the four great elements, which arise and cease, arise and cease continuously, and are transmitted through the tongue faculty to the supreme faculty, forming an image of the taste object, called the inner taste object. The outer touch objects are composed of the four great elements; the tathāgatagarbha apprehends them into extremely subtle particles of the four great elements, which arise and cease, arise and cease continuously, and are transmitted through the various parts of the body faculty to the supreme faculty, forming an image of the touch object, called the inner touch object. The form included among the dharmas is further manifested by the tathāgatagarbha on the basis of the preceding five inner sense objects, and is also composed of particles of the four great elements.

The five faculties, which can perform the function of transmission, are composed of the four great elements; they are material form, born of and upheld by the tathāgatagarbha, and the five faculties are of the same nature. Therefore, the five sense objects can completely pass through a single faculty and be transmitted to the supreme faculty; the tathāgatagarbha then manifests mental objects (dharma-viṣaya), and when faculty and object make contact, the tathāgatagarbha produces a conscious mind to discriminate all the appearances of the six sense objects. That is to say, the eye faculty can transmit sound, smell, taste, and touch objects to the supreme faculty; then the tathāgatagarbha manifests the form included among the dharmas, and then gives birth to a conscious mind to discriminate them. Likewise, the ear faculty can transmit the other five sense objects, the nose faculty can transmit the other five sense objects, the tongue faculty can transmit the other five sense objects, and the body faculty can transmit the other five sense objects; the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to a consciousness, and by one conscious mind the six sense objects are discriminated in a unified way. Of course, in all these matters—which faculty transmits the five sense objects and which consciousness discriminates them in a unified way—the manas directs and the manas decides; even the tathāgatagarbha follows its direction. Such a manas is then no longer an ordinary manas; it has already reached the untainted (anāsrava) state.

Then which consciousness should this consciousness be? The answer is that all eight consciousnesses can do it, depending on each person's level of cultivation. The highest level is the Buddha, who can discriminate the six sense objects with the undefiled consciousness (amala-vijñāna) alone, without the seven consciousnesses; other great bodhisattvas and ordinary beings cannot do this. Next are the bodhisattvas on the bhūmis and arhats, who can discriminate with the seventh consciousness or the sixth consciousness, or even with one of the five consciousnesses. If a bodhisattva has no body faculty, then the first four faculties also do not exist, and among the six faculties there is only the manas. In that case, can such a bodhisattva discriminate the first five sense objects? Of course he can. Because the first five sense objects are apprehended and manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, the seventh consciousness can condition them. A bodhisattva whose samādhi and wisdom are perfectly luminous can, with the seventh consciousness alone, directly cognize the first five sense objects and the six sense objects, without the supreme faculty, and without the sixth consciousness and the first five consciousnesses either. And the World-Honored One at the buddha-stage need not use even the seventh consciousness—still more direct and efficient.

This is the extremely supreme merit accomplished by untainted wondrous samādhi and untainted wondrous wisdom. How supreme and how wondrous are the untainted merits! Ignorance, afflictive habitual tendencies, and the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion indeed severely obscure the supreme merits that sentient beings inherently possess, so that they have only the empty name of "originally a Buddha" without the practical function of an originally-existing Buddha—truly regrettable and lamentable! What is to be done? We should strive to sever the afflictions and sever all ignorance and defilement. And the severing of afflictions and defilement can only be accomplished through the path of eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and seeing the mind and seeing the nature. Be a bodhisattva of great resolve, benefiting self and benefiting others. In this way one can restore the originally pure countenance of the mind-ground, fully manifest all the light of the mind-ground, and attain the most supreme and most perfect retribution—the retribution of a buddha at the stage of fruition!

3. Sentient beings in the desire realm all have eight consciousnesses, and the Buddha also has eight consciousnesses. Within the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava), all eight consciousnesses are also complete; it is not the case that only the seventh consciousness exists. It is merely that within the antarā-bhava, the habitual tendencies of the seventh consciousness can be fully and completely expressed without any concealment, while the controlling power of the sixth consciousness is relatively weak and cannot fully and effectively control the seventh consciousness; the seventh consciousness then acts according to its own habitual inertia—hence it is said that the mind of the deceased is straightforward. Within the antarā-bhava, the thinking and discriminating functions of the sixth consciousness are relatively weaker than when alive, and the seventh consciousness, having little dependence on the six sense objects for its discriminations, will act and decide according to its own habitual tendencies. If the afflictions of the seventh consciousness have not been subdued, at this time the afflictions can be fully expressed, and then one takes rebirth according to afflictive habitual tendencies; after taking rebirth, one must suffer the misery of birth and death. The antarā-bhava also has a body, with eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body; only the form-body is rather ethereal, not a substantial physical body, being composed of subtle material of the four great elements. Therefore, the obstructions to the form-body are small, and it can possess some weak supernormal powers, such as the divine eye, the divine ear, knowing others' minds, psychic transformation, and recollection of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti), and can know many things that humans do not know.